Improved railway-switch



UNITEDSTATES PATENT @unica CHARLES J. BAYER, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVED RAILWAY-SWITCH.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 57,661, dated September 4, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES-A. BAYER, of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, State ot New York, have invented a new and Improved Railroad-Switch 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will Venable others skilled in the 'art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a plan or top view ot my invention 5 Fig. 2, a transverse section of the same, taken in the line w Fig. l.

Similar letters ot' reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to a new and improved railroad-switch of that class which are designed to be, in a measure, self-acting, or which may be operated by the carwheels, so as to be brought in proper position when the cars are moving in onedirection, the switch requirin to be adjusted by hand when the cars are movingiu the opposite direction.

The object ot' the invention is to prevent accidents by acareless management ofthe switch, by having the latter adjusted with certainty by the car-wheels when the cars are movingin a direction in which accidents would invariably occur if the switch be in a wrong position.

A A represent the rails of a main track, and B B the rails of a branch track. C G represent the switch-rails, oneend of which work on pivots or pins, as usual, and their opposite or disengaged ends are connected to bars D D, which are attached to the rails A B of the main and branch tracks by joints a, or any ilexible attachment, and the opposite ends of said bars are connected to the switch-rails in a similar manner, as shown atb.

. The bars D D maybe rigid or be'exible, so as to have a spring-like action.

The switch-rails C G are connected by a cross-rod, c, one end of which projects beyond the switch, and is connected, as usual, to a hand-lever, E, by which the switch may be adjusted whenever necessary.

By referring to Fig. l it will be seen that the bars D Dl are by the sides of the rails A B ol' the main and branch tracks, and the inner sides of these rails directly opposite the bars D Dl are beveled or inclined, as shown` at d, Fig. 2, to correspond to the sides of the bars D D, which are similarly beveled, as shown at e. These beveled or inclined surfaces form a lock, and prevent the bars D D from rising.

Vhen the switch-rails C G are in line with the rails A A' of the main track, as shown in black in Fig. l, the cars can pass over the main track in either direction; and in case a car is passing from the branch rails upon the main rails in the direction indicated by arrow l, the anges of the wheels at the left-hand side of the car will press the bar D laterally in the direction indicated by arrow 2, and the switchrails will be moved in line with the branch rails B B, as shown in red, Fig. l. In case a car, afterward, moves along on the main rails A A in the direction indicated by arrow 3, the flanges of the right-hand wheels will press the bar D laterally in the direction indicated by arrow 4, and move the switch-rails G C back in line with the rails A A of the main track. Thus it will be seen that the car-wheels adjust the switch when the cars are moving in the direction indicated by arrows l and 3, and no accident can occur when the cars are moving in this direction on either track, for if the switch-rails are not adjusted in lines with the rails on which the cars are traveling the carwheels will 'adjust the switch in linewith said rails.

When a car is moving in an opposite direction on the main rails, as indicated by the arrow 5, the switch requires to be adjusted by hand; but in this case no accident can occur it' the switch be in a wrong position, as the car will simply pass 011 4the wrong track, and it can be backed on the main rails, the switch adjusted, and the car then again move forward, occasioning only a tritling delay.

I am aware that Letters Patent were granted July 2a, 1860, for an improved switch-plate for street-railways, which switch-plate is undercut or recessed to receive a vertically-dovetailed tongue.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pat entl. The connecting of the switchfrails C C to the main and branch rails A' B' by means of the bars D D, substantially as shown, so that the switch-rails will be adjusted or moved by The aboye specification of my invention the action of the cnr-wheels on the bai-s D D, signed by me this 29th day of January, 1866. as described.

2. In a railway-switch adapted to operate CEAS. J. BAYER. substantially as herein described, having the adjoining sides of the rails A B and the bars VVtnesses: D D beveled or inclined to forni n lock for the M. M. LIVINGSTON, bars D D, as set forth. f ALEX. F. ROBERTS. 

